All current methods of inter-digital signal processor traffic management have a negative impact on the loading of the central processor unit (CPU) and the direct memory access (DMA) function. In addition there is a negative impact on the number of external pins/components and the complexity of operation. Conventional methods also have confining limits on the number of processors that can be connected together and the manner in which they may be connected together. The data streams used in current methods do not have means to carry control elements for transfer path reconfiguration ahead of the data packets, or for propagating a not ready signal up the stream to prevent data overruns. These limitations force the CPU/DMA and other chip resources to be actively involved in data traffic management at the cost of fewer cycles available to processing of data. The current methods also do not allow multiple digital signal processors to collectively receive the same data stream.